Expressing apparatus



A. W. FRENCH.

EXPRESSING APPARATUS- APPLlCATlON FILED MAYIS, IQIZH 1 $360,205. Patented Nov. 23,1920.

3 SHEETSSHEET l.

A. W. FRENCH.

EXPRESSINGAPPARATUS. APPLICAYTlON FILED MAYIE, 1.911.

Patented Nov. 23, 1920.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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PATENT OFFICE.

ALFRED W.,FRENCH, 0 PI QUA, OHIO.

nxranssme APPARATUS.

Application filed. May 15, 1917. ,SerialNo. 168,697.

To all 10750777; it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALFRED W. FRENCH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Piqua, in the county of Miami and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Expressing Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in apparatus for expressing oil from oil bear ing materials, and more particularly to expressing apparatus employing cage presses in which the material is placed in layers in an open ended vertical press cage with press plates and press cloths between the adjacent layers of the material. The apparatus forming the subject of this invention is especially adapted for operating upon materials which are high in oil and from which a relatively large percentage of the oil can be expressed rapidly and with mod erate pressure.

The objects of the invention are to improve apparatus of this sort in various respects among which may be mentioned the following To provide a press cage of novel construction, such as to give the press a very large capacity and enable the oil to be expressed rapidly from a large number of cakes at one time, and also to reduce the cost of manufacture of the cage; also to provide a press cage of this sortha-ving walls constructed so as to permit a very rapid and ready escape of the oil "from the material; also to produce a cage press of the floating type in which the cage is adapted to move a limited distance with the ram when the pres sure is applied and which is provided with novel means for coiiperation with the ram in pressing the material and for holding the cage from movement when the ram is operated to eject the pressed cakes from the cage; also to provide press plates for use in the press cage between the cakes of material, which insure a very rapid and free escape of the oil from the material to the walls of the cage and enable the cage to be more rapidly and easily filled and emptied; and also to improve expressing apparatus oi the type mentioned in the other respects hereinafter described and set forth in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings Figure l is a side elevation of an expressing apparatus embodying the invention Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Ngv, 23, 1920.

showing the same associated with a meal cooker from which thematerial is delivered to the press.

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic plan view showing the arrangement of a plurality of presses associated with the meal cooker.

Fig. 3 is a front elevation partly in section, on an enlarged scale, of the press, showing the cage filled and the parts in posi tion for compressing the material.

Fig. 4. is a sectional elevation of the upper portion of the press on line 454:. Fig. 1 showing the ing the cage.

Fig. 5 is a sectional elevation similar to Fig. 3, showingthe position of the parts when the material has been compressed in the cage.

Fig. 6 is a sectional plan view, on an enlarged scale on line 6-6, Fig. 5, showing the upper portion of the press cage.

Fig. is a sectional plan view on line 7-7, Fig. 5, showing the lower portion of the press cage.

Fig. 8 is a plan view of one of the press plates, a portion of. the press cloth being broken away to disclose the'underlying portion of the plate.

Fig. 9 is a section of two of the press plates showing the relation of the plates to each other when in the press cage.

Fig. 10 is any inside'face view, enlarged, of a portion or one of the lining plates for the press cage. I

Fig. 11 is an outside face tion of said lining plate.

Fig. 12 is a section of the line 1212, Fig. 11.

Fig. 13 is a fragmentary horizontal section of the wall of the press cage on line. 13-13, Fig. 10.

Fig. 1a is a sectional elevation of the lower portion of one of the cage lining plates and cage wall on line,l ll4, Fig. 15.. I

Fig. 15 is a fragmentary horizontal section on a smaller scale than Fig. 13, of the press cage wall.

A represents the. press. Preferably two or more of these presses, which are alike, are arranged at different points around a position of the parts when fill view of a por lining plate on meal cooker, indicated at B, so that the sevis arranged below the cooker so that it can be placed in a position for carrying meal from the cooker to fill one press and then moved to a' position in which it is adapted to carry meal from the cooker for filling another press. The charging device when in operative relation to either press is adapted to reciprocate horizontally to carry the meal from a discharge opening of the cooker and deposite it in the press This charging device does not constitute any part of the present invention and it may be in the nature of the apparatus disclosed inLetters Patent No. 1,158,797, granted to me on Nov. 2d, 1915, in which the charge box isreciprocated by hydnulic mechanism and is arranged to swing from one press to another. or it may be of any other suitable construction adapted to be positioned and operated for delivering the charges of meal from the cooker for filling first one and then another of the presses A.

Each of the presses A, as usual, comprises a vertical hydraulic cylinder 20, a head block 21 connected to the cylinder and supported by vertical columns 22, an open ended vertical press cage arranged between the cylinder-and the head block, a piston or ram 23, which works in the cylinder and is provided at its upper end with a platen 2% which is adapted to enter the lower end of the cage and cooperate with a pressure block at the upper end of the cage for compressing the material in the cage.

The press cage is preferably composed of upper and lower parts or sections 25 and 26 respectively, of different construction, which are secured together end to end by bolts 27' ends of the castings shown have shoulders or parts 33, see Fig. 7, which bear against each other to relieve the connecting bolts from lateral strain. Since in the operation of the press, the ram pushes the material out of the lower portion 26 of the cage into the upper portion in compacting it and before it is subjected to very great pressure,

the lower portion of the cage does not have to be as strong as the upper part of the cage and the walls forming the lower part can be made of cast iron and can be made hollow with vertical strengthening webs or parts 33 as shown in Fig. 7 of the drawings. The walls or castings are thus of truss like formation and though of light weight are of adequate strength. The spaces between the vertical webs form vertical passages for the flow of oil. The upper part 25 of the cage in which the oil is expressed from the material and which is subjected to much greater pressure than the lower part of the cage preferably consists of an outer single piece shell or jacket 34 of steel or other material .of requisite strength and'inner or lining plates 35 of steel or other suitable metal provided with openings through which the oil expressed from the material is adapted to escape. The cage shown is of substantially square internal cross section and one of the perforated lining plates 35 is shown at each of the four sides of the cage. 7 it is not, however, absolutely essential to have the perforated lining plates at all four sides of the cage; for instance, they could be arranged at two opposite sides of the cage. The shell 34: is provided internally, back of each of the lining plates, with spaced vertical ribs 36 against the inner edges of which the lining plates bear to prevent the deformation of the plates from the pressure thereon and to provide between the ribs vertical channels 37 for the flow of oil. The lining plates can be secured in the shell 3d against the ribs 36 by bolts 38, Fig. 6, or in any other suitable manner.

Each of the lining plates, see Figs 1on4, is preferably provided both with rows of small. holes or perforations 39 and with nar row vertical slots 10 arranged between the rows or perforations. Preferably, the slots 4:0 are of less length than the plates and are arranged so as to leave unslotted portions of the plate having only the perforations 39 therein, between the ends of the slots, thus leaving enough metal between adjoining slots to properly support the plates between the ribs 36 of the shell and prevent the strips between the slots from bending outwardly under pressure. The slots permit a much freer escape of the oil through the lining plates and by providing the lining plates with both perforations and slots arranged as stated, there is ample provision for a very free and rapid escape of the oil while the lining plates have the requisite strength to resist the pressure thereon. The outer portions of the perforations 39 are preferably counteroored, as usual, to enable them to be more readily cleared of any meal which may enter the same, and the slots 4-0 are also made with narrow inner portions and wider outer portions for the same purpose. The slots can be conveniently made by first milling the wide outer portions thereof withone milling cutter and using a narrower milling cutter for the narrower inner portions of the slots. The slots and perforations in the lining plates connect with the channels 37 between the ribs of the shell 34 so that the oil expressed from the material passes through the perforations and slots in the lining plates into the channels 37 and flows down through these channels and'through the hollow walls of the lower portion 26 of the cage to the usual collecting pan or part 41 below the lower end of the cage. As shown in Figs. 5 and 14, each of the lining plates has a cross cleat or strip 42 riveted or otherwise secured at its lower extremity, which cleat bears at its upper edge against shoulders 43 on the ribs of the shell 34 to prevent upward displacement of thelining plates. The upper edge of this cleat 42 is beveled between the ribs 36 of the shell, as shown in F ig. 14, so as to prevent the lodgment of meal on the upper edge of the cleat.

The press cage constructed as described is long, preferably about seventy-five inches long, thus enabling a large number of cakes to be formed and pressed in the cage at one time, and since, as before stated, the lower portion 26 of the cage can be made of cheaper material, of less strength than the upper portion for the reason before stated, the long cage can be produced at a moderate. cost.

' The cage is adapted to float or move verti-' cally between the press cylinder 20 and the head block 21, the cage being preferably retained in position and guided in its move-. ment by suitable guide lugs 44 which bear against and are adapted to slide on the colurnns of the press.

45 represents a pressure block at the upper end of the press adapted to enter the upper end of the cage to cooperate with the rain in pressing the material. This pressure block may consist of a hollow casting as shown, or maybe of any suitable construction and ot a size adapting it to eadily enter the upper end of the cage. it: indicates lateral lugs in opposite sides of the pressure block adapted to engage the upper end of the cage to limit the upward movement on? the cage. The pressure block is mounted on the upper portion oi the press frame to move to and from a position in which it registers with and is adapted to enter the upper end of the cage. As shown the pressure block is slidably supported by rollers 46 at its opposite sides which travel on tracks 47 conveniently formed by parallei channel bars secured to the upper end of the press frame at opposite sides of the pressure block. its shown, the pressure block provided. at one side between the tracks 47 with a horizontal extension 48 having at its outer end a. depending cage hold ng block or part 4 hen the pressure block is in its operative position in register with the upper end of the press cage, the cage holding block 49 extends out at one side of the press, as shown in F 3. When the pressure block is moved outwardly away from this operative position to the position shown in Fig. 4, which is in the position thereof when filling and emptying the cage, the pressure block 45 and the cage holding block 49 bear against the upper end of the cage at opposite sides thereof and prevent the cage from lifting when the ram is raised to eject the pressed cakes out of the upper endof the cage. In this position of the parts an open space is left above the cage between the pressure block and the cage holding block 49, in which the charging box is adapted to reciprocate when filling or charging the cage. The pressure block can be moved to and from its operative position over the press cage by any suitable. means. As shown, the pressure block is provided at the side thereof opposite to the cage holding block 49 with a bracket or extension 50 which supports a toothed rack 51 engaged by a pinion 52 for moving the presser block in and out. This pinion is secured to an operating shalt 53 which is suitably journaled on the head block of the press and is provided at one end with a hand wheel 54 for turning the same.

In the operation of the press the rain is moved upwardly in the cage to a point near the upper end thereof, the pressure block being in the outer position shown in Fig. 4. A press plate and press cloth are then. laid on the ram or platen in the cage and the charging box C operated to carry a charge of meal suitable for one cake from the cooker and deposit. the same in the cage. The ram is then lowered a step and the charging box again operated to make another deposit of meal in the cage, this operation being repeated and suitable press cloths and press plates being placed in the cage between successive charges of meal. ll hen the cage has been thus filled with measured charges of meal separated by the press cloths and press plates the Inessure block 45 is moved into position to register with the upper end of the cage and the ram is. then raised to compress the material. As theram ascends the cage is adapted to more upwardly with it. due to the friction between the material and the cage, the pressure block 45 entering the upper end oi. the cage until the upward movement of the cage is arrested by engaging the lugs on the pressure block. The continued upward movement of the ram compresses the material and moves it up into the upper portion 25 oi? the cage until the parts occupy the position shown in 5. The pressure is continued. until the oil has been expressed to the desired extent from the material in the upper portion of the cage. After the oil has been expressed from the material the ram is lpwered and the cane descends until it is in its normal lower position with the pressure block 45 clear of the upper end of the cage. The pressure block is then unwed. outwardly to one side, as shown in Fig. 4,

after which the ram can be raised to eject the pressed cakes from the upper end of the cage.

The press plates which are used between the cakes or charges of meal in the cage are preferably constructed as shown in Figs. 8 and 9., Each plate 55 preferably consists of a piece of sheet metal which is pressed or bent in any suitable manner to form spaced hollow ribs or corrugations 56 thereon which form grooves or oil escape channels on one face or side of the plate. The ribs or corrugations are perforated to permit the oil to pass through the ribs into the oil chan nels; These plates are used in pairs in the cage and, as shown,a piece of press cloth 5?, such as ordinarily used in presses, is riveted or otherwise suitably secured on the ribbed side ofeach plate. One plate is placed on a charge of meal with its ribbed side down and its press cloth contacting with the meal. A second plate is then placed on the first plate with its channeled side down against the channeled side of the underlying plate and preferably with the ribs or channels of one plate extending at right angles to those of the adjacent plate. The next charge of meal is then placed in the'cage on the cloth on the upper side of the press plate, two press plates being thus employed between each two charges of meal or cakes in the cage. The two press plates arranged in this way provide between them oil channels or passages leading to the four walls of the press cage. The complementary plates of each pair are'disconneoted and can be handled separately. Instead of having the press cloths secured to the plates as de-' scribed, separate or disconnected cloths can be used if desired. The oil passes downardly and upwardly from the charges or cakes of meal through the press cloths and through the perforations inthe ribs of the press plates into the oil channels of the plates. The oil can, therefore, escape much more freely and rapidly from the meal at the central portion of the cage than in presses in which the ordinary solid plates are used with press cloths on opposite sides thereof, since in such presses, the oil must find its way laterally through the cake and through the press cloths only. The press plates constructed and assembled as described also enables the press to be much more rapidly charged because in charging the press the press man only has to handle two press plates having the press cloths attached thereto between each two charges instead of as in the presses heretofore used, handling three pieces, that is first a press cloth, then a press plate and then a second press cloth. The same advantage is inci dent to the removal of the cakes from the cage. Instead of having to strip two press cloths from each cake and in addition removing a press plate from between each two cakes, the press man has only to strip the press plates with their attached cloths are not deformed by the pressure to which.

they are subjected. Since the complement 1 plates of each pair are disconnected the grooves can'be readily cleared of any meal which may lodge therein.

1 claim as my invention Y r 1. In an expressing apparatus, a unitary open ended upright two-part press cage comprising separate upper and lower sections secured together end to end to provide a substantially continuous chamber, one of said sections being provided with openings for the escape of the expressed liquid, and said other section being imperforate, and means for moving the material from said imperforate section into said other section and for pressing the material in said last mentioned section.

In an expressing apparatus, a unitary open ended two-part press cage comprising separate sections of difierent physical charactcristics secured together end to end to.

provide a substantially continuous chamber, the walls of one of said sections being provi "ed with openings for the escape of the expressed liquid, and means for moving the material from said other section into the secti on having the openings and for pressing the material in said last mentioned section.

3. In an expressing apparatus, a unitary open ended two-part press cage comprising a ection having openings for the escape of the expressed liquid, and a separate section connected to one end of said first section and forming therewith a substantially continuous chamber and. composed of a plurality of separate walls secured together, and means for moving the material from said last mentioned section into said section having the openings and for pressing the material therein.

l. In an expressing apparatus, a unitary pen ended two-part press cage comprising two sections secured end to end to provide a substantially continuous chamber, one of said sections being composed of an outer shell provided with liquid drainage channels, and a lining having openings for the escape of the expressed liquid into said channels, and said other section having hollow walls forming chambers arranged to receive the liquid from said drainage channels of said first section.

5. In an expressing apparatus, an open ended upright press cage comprising upper.

liquid to said channels, and said lower portion having channels connecting with the channels of said upper portion.

6. In an expressing apparatus, an open ended upright press cage comprising upper and lower portions, said upper portion being composed of an outer shell provided with liquid channels and a lining having openings for the passage of the expressed liquid to said channels, and said lower portion having hollow walls the chambers of which connect with the channels of said upper portion.

7. In an expressing apparatus, an open ended upright press cage comprising upper and lower portions, said upper portion being composed of an outer shell provided with liquid channels and a lining having openings for the passage of the expressed liquid to said channels, and said lower portion being composed of hollow castings the chambers of which connect with the channels of said upper portion.

8. In an expressing apparatus, an open ended upright press cage comprising an outer shell provided with liquid drainage channels and intervening lining-supporting portions, and a relatively thin liningplate therefor supported against deflection by said supporting portions of the shell and provided with a plurality of elongated narrow slots for the escape of the expressed liquid to said 7 drainage channels.

9. In an expressing apparatus, an open ended upright press cage comprising an outer shell provided with liquid drainage channels and intervening lining-supporting portions, and a relatively thin lining plate therefor supported against deflection by said supporting portions of the shell and provided with rows of perforations and a plurality of elongated narrow slots located between the rows of perforations for the escape of the expressed liquid to said drainage channels.

10. In an expressing apparatus, an open ended upright press cage comprising an outer shell and a lining plate therefor provided with both perforations and elongated narrow slots for the escape of the expressed liquid, the portions of said plate containing said slots being separated by an intervening unslotted portion of the plate.

11. In an expressing apparatus the combination of an upright open ended press cage capable of vertical movement, a ram adapted to move upwardly in the cage, and a pres sure block which is movable horizontally from a position in which it registers with and is adapted to enter the upper end of the cage to a position in which it engages the press cage and holds it from upward movement.

12. In an expressing apparatus, the combination of an upright open ended press cage capable of vertical movement, a ram adapted to move'upwardly in thecage, and a pressure block and a connected cage holding block which are movable from a position in which the pressure block registers with and is adapted to enter the upper end of the cage to a position in which said blocks engage the press cage and hold it from upward movement.

13. In an expressing apparatus, the combi nation of an upright open ended press cage capable of vertical movement, a ram adapted to move upwardly in the cage, and a pres sure block and a connected cage holding block which are movable horizontally above the press cage from a position in which the pressure block registers with and is adapted to enter the upper end of the cage to a posi tion in which said blocks engage opposite sides of the upper end of the cage and hold the same from upward movement, said blocks in said latter position leaving a free space between them above the press cage for the entrance of a charging device for filling the press cage.

14. In an expressing apparatus, the combination of an upright open ended press cage capable of vertical movement, a ram adapted to move upwardly in the cage, a pressure block which is movable horizontally to and from a position in which it registers with and is adapted toenter the upper end of the press cage, and a cage holding block which is supported by an extension of said pressure block at one side of and spaced from the pressure block, said holding block being moved to a position to engage and hold the press cage from upward movement when the ALFRED W. FRENCH. Witnesses:

IMo. W. BERRY, J. C. HUGHES. 

